Of Racehorses and Baby Names
by BitAndBridle27
Summary: Castle and Beckett have news for one another, big news. How will the married couple cope with not one baby on the way, but two- and not even of the same species? Set in the future.
1. Some News

**Hello dear readers! This is the first chapter of my new story, and I hope you'll enjoy the "ride!" This is a rather short introduction, but bear with it, it'll get better. I've decided to dive into the world of names, a writer's paradise. So sit up tall, look where you're going, keep your heels down, and hold those reins properly!**

* * *

It was not really much of a shock, the news that Kate Castle received on a slightly warmer than average day in April. Okay, she had to admit it still surprised her a little bit. She had _hoped_ that it was true; she had thought through it logically and _concluded_ it was true; she had tested it and found her own _results_ to be true; but now she had professional evidence, visual evidence, evidence that would floor her husband when he got home from trip to the set of _Heat Rises_ that evening. Oh yes, revenge for all the surprises he had put her through was sweet.

* * *

At five o'clock in the afternoon, Richard Castle walked into the waiting area of JFK International Airport a bit tentatively. It was by no means because he was not looking forward to seeing his wife (he truly was, it was hard enough to leave her for a minute let alone three days, especially when she had not been feeling well), he was just worried about the news he had to break to her. Nothing was wrong, not by any stretch; something had just… come up.

When he looked to see her standing behind the ropes, though, he forgot any worries he had been having. She smiled and waved and his grin could have lit up the skyline.

"Hey, stranger," she greeted him once they had reached one another.

"Hey yourself," he replied, staring into her eyes and absorbing all the emotion they shared with him.

Without warning, he dropped his bags and pulled her in for a kiss. After they got married two years earlier, the couple stopped really caring who saw them kissing in public ("They want to photograph everything about you," Kate had reasoned, "Why not throw them at least a splinter of a bone?").

Remaining in the embrace for what felt like an eon, Kate reacquainted herself with everything about her husband: his distinct smell, the way his shirt felt, his height, the rhythm of his breathing, the feeling of his lips pressed against her own… She stopped herself before going any further in the public area. Even now, there were certain lines she drew. She looked at him and smiled radiantly, then picked up the smaller of his bags and hoisted it over her shoulder.

"You comin', Castle?" she threw back over her shoulder and she walked away from him. On cue, he picked up his other bag and followed her, faithful as ever.

* * *

"So how was L.A.?" Kate asked as they sat side-by-side on the floor of their living room eating Chinese off the coffee table.

Castle shrugged. "Would've been better if you came along," he told her, "But I played poker with Jerry Moss last night. I hadn't seen him in ages."

Kate cocked her head. "The name sounds familiar but I don't know from where," she remarked.

"Well," Castle said, putting down his container of food, "Jerry actually brings me to my next point. I have some news."

Smiling and putting down her food as well, Kate said, "Great! I do too."

"You do?" Castle asked.

"Mhmm."

In an attempt to put off his news further, Castle turned to her. "You go first. I want to hear all about what the extraordinary Kate Castle has to say."

Fixing her eyes in a famous stare, Kate asked, "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"You saying that makes me want to hear even more," he told her with a grin.

Kate returned the smile, pulled out a small envelope from under her thigh, and gave it to Castle. "Open it," she told him.

He wiggled his eyebrows in a mischievous way and set to work on the envelope, eventually pulling out a small black and white photo of what looked like a stretched-out cone with an abstract sketch inside it.

It took Castle all of two seconds to realize what his wife had just given him.

"Is this what I think it is?" he asked her, his voice a little hoarse from surprise. He turned to Kate and saw that she had taken her bottom lip in her teeth and was nodding slowly. For once in his life, Castle was lost for words.

"You-you-we-you…" he struggled to make a coherent sentence.

"We," Kate told him softly, snuggling closer, "made a baby." She tapped the photo.

"You're pregnant?" Castle asked for verification.

"Yes, Castle, I am. I hope that's all right," she said, nervousness creeping into her voice for the first time.

"Of course it is!" he exclaimed, "We both wanted this. Kate, Kate this is fantastic!"

Kate laughed at the childlike excitement in his voice. "I think so too. I really do."

"This is the best news ever!" Castle continued, "It's amazing!"

Kate raised her head from the shoulder she was currently resting it on. "Speaking of which, what news were you going to tell me?"

"Oh," Castle responded, beginning to clam up, "Oh, it can wait until tomorrow."

With this, his wife sat back and fixed her eyes on him in that penetrating, interrogation room way.

"Richard Castle, what did you do?" she asked him sternly.

Castle stood up and helped her up as well. He raised his hands to show innocence. "Now don't get mad, Kate," he began, "Jerry wouldn't let me out of it."

"Out of what?" she pressed.

"He just didn't have any money left and didn't know what he was saying."

"What did he _say_, Castle?"

"Well, like you, Zenyatta is pregnant too," he started.

"_Zenyatta_?" Kate cut in.

"And Jerry wouldn't let me out of the deal. He said it wouldn't be honorable. So now we haven't got one new baby on the way, we've got two," Castle tried to explain.

"_He offered up a __**child**__ for poker_?" Kate hissed.

"No, no! Not a child! A…a…horse," Castle stuttered.

Kate stumbled back a step and took a breath. "A what?"

* * *

**Uh-oh, looks like Castle is in trouble! **

**Reviews are much appreciated!**


	2. Then It's Settled

**Here's the next chapter! For anyone who doesn't know about Zenyatta, I would seriously suggest learning more about her (she's an amazing athlete and one of my favorite racehorses). Also, I took a lot of liberties with the Thoroughbred breeding world. What I wrote about probably will never happen, but it's just because I want a fantasy match-up. **

**In an answer to justmeme (Guest)'s review: I don't believe Zenyatta would be out of Castle's league. Whenever I thought of a horse for Castle, I always thought he would just surround himself with another beautiful woman aka Zenyatta. **

**Disclaimer: The only character I own is the little peanut inside Kate**

* * *

"Zenyatta is a horse, Kate. An amazing horse actually, she-" Castle stopped abruptly when his wife put her hand up in a halting motion.

"Slow down, Castle. You're telling me that a poker buddy of yours owns a horse" (he nodded) "who is pregnant right now" (he nodded again) "and he lost all his money playing poker and offered up the foal to pay for his losses?" Kate asked, trying to break down this insane turn of events.

"And I tried to sway him from it the next day, I really did!" he added, "But Jerry (Jerry Moss, Zenyatta's owner along with his wife) said he wouldn't take anything but my acceptance. He said it was a consequence he had to pay for overdoing it in poker… and alcohol."

"And you just accepted that and went on your merry way?" Kate questioned him, still irked and in disbelief.

"Of course not! I said that when the foal was born, I'd immediately sell it back to him. What do we know about the racing world anyways?" Castle responded.

Kate cocked her head. "The racing world?"

Nodding, Castle, in a less defensive tone, replied, "Yeah, Zenyatta is a racehorse. One of the most sought after broodmares right now, because her racing record was so good, nineteen to one."

Becoming more curious, Kate sat back down on their couch and nodded for her husband to continue his explanation. Absentmindedly, her hand went to her stomach and just rested there. It was weird to think there was a life growing inside her, even weirder than the events taking place outside of her body.

"After Jerry told me I had to take the foal, he explained to me why he wouldn't fight harder for it. Something happened at the barn- he wouldn't say exactly what because I think it's a bit of an embarrassment- but Zenyatta's pregnancy was unplanned. One of the stallions from the farm impregnated her but they don't know which one or how it happened. None of the other horse owners really want responsibility of the foal either, so they made the collective decision just to get it out of their hair once it was born and pretend it didn't happen," he explained to her.

Whether it was the pregnancy hormones or not, Castle did not know. What he did know was that a fire lit up in Kate Castle's hazel eyes, a fire of determination.

"It can't just be sold because it was unplanned!" she exclaimed in protest, "Why didn't you tell me that first?"

"How does that make a difference?" he countered, not completely understanding her.

"Just because someone doesn't know a baby's origins, of _any _species, doesn't mean they should just sell it to anyone. What if it wasn't going to a good home?"

"I suppose that's why Jerry didn't protest with me taking it," Castle remarked, starting to follow Kate's logic.

Smiling, the detective said, "Then it's settled. I'm going to take a bath." She got up and began to make her way to their bedroom with thoughts of scented candles and bubbles flitting in her mind.

"Then what's settled? Kate? Kate!"

* * *

It was indeed settled. When Kate Beckett-Castle made up her mind, nothing could change it, not even Castle's specific mode of persuasion.

_"I don't care what it takes," she had told Castle the previous night with a tone of finality, "That horse is not going to be auctioned off because they don't know its parentage. __**You**__ didn't know your father for quite a long time but that didn't mean you were any less important."_

_ "What are you saying?" Castle had asked, hopefulness bubbling up inside him._

_ Kate smiled, sensing his emotions. "I'm saying that if Jerry Moss gave you (and by default, me) that foal, we're keeping it. That way, you don't have to buy our baby a pony and you finally gave me the pony you said about buying when you first dug up my mother's case."_

Since Kate had decided that they were not only to become first-time parents, but first-time horse owners, she and Castle split up the next morning. He was going to call Jerry Moss and say that they would keep Zenyatta's foal and then he was going to start looking at options for what to do once the foal is born depending on if it will stay with its mother or not.

Meanwhile, Kate was off to work for a rather important discussion with Captain Gates. As much as she was going to hate being put on desk duty, she knew that gates would eventually force her into that. While Kate knew it was in her and the baby's best interest to stay safe, she still wanted to go to crime scenes and interview for as long as possible.

"Hey, Beckett!" a familiar voice greeted her when she put her stuff down as if on cue.

"Are you ever going to start calling me by my real last name, Espo?" she asked the Latin detective with a smile.

He laughed and replied, "Beckett-Castle is a bit of a mouthful, don't you think?"

"And we already have a Castle," added a third voice as Kevin Ryan joined the mix. He nodded in Kate's direction, "Did Castle make it home okay yesterday?"

"Fine, he got in on time for once," she replied, "Is Gates here yet?"

Esposito cocked his head. "Yeah, you need to see her this early? Is everything all right?"

"Great," she replied almost instantly, "I just need to talk to her."

Without waiting for any further questions, Kate turned away from the pair of detectives and made her way to the Captain's office.

Knocking and getting the response of "come in," she entered and stood to face the Captain who looked up from the paper she was reading.

"Detective," she greeted, "What brings you to my office this early?" Gates had stopped asking Kate to sit down a long time ago but still made the gesture out of habit. Oddly, her subordinate took a seat to face her.

"Sir," Kate began, "I have some news and as much as I'd like to wait and tell you when I tell everyone else, you need to know now."

The last time Kate had prefaced something with "I have some news," she had told the Captain that she and castle were getting married and her smile had been so bright that Gates almost put on sunglasses. Now, Kate's face stony and anxiety lit up her eyes.

"I'm all ears," the Captain replied, keeping her tone open so as not to make the detective more nervous.

Kate paused for a second, her eyes squinting ever so slightly as if she was trying to figure out what to say, but in the end the news was short and right to the point.

"I'm pregnant, two months," she told her superior.

Gates sat back in her chair and smiled genuinely. "Congratulations, Kate," she responded warmly.

Immediately, the stoniness on Kate's face began to fade and a smile crept onto her face. When Gates re-told the story later, she described the moment as when Kate started to glow.

"Thank you, Sir," Kate said in an almost out of breath voice, as if she could not believe the Captain would take the news that easily.

Back in her business tone, Gates added, "Now, no more suspect takedowns or going to question suspects outside the precinct. And if you're interrogating someone, have another detective in the room- not just you or you and Mr. Castle. Once you start -er- showing, we'll readdress the interrogation part. But for now, I think that's enough. Oh, and don't push yourself to the breaking point. I know you, Detective Beckett-Castle (Gates did not mind the mouthful of a name), and I know you'll push yourself too hard, so just remember my words of warning."

"Understood, Sir," Kate acknowledged.

"Good," she said, "Now I will let you tell Detectives Ryan and Esposito what you want about why your duties have been restricted. Go do your job."

"Yes, Sir," Kate replied with a smile as she got up to leave.

"And Kate?" the Captain called once more as her detective looked back around, "Congratulations again. You'll make a wonderful mother."

Kate smiled and the glow Gates would later describe emanated from her and made the Captain's heart lift a little. "Thank you, Sir," she murmured, her voice thick with emotion.

For Kate, that was the moment when she suddenly got hit with the reality that she would be a mother in seven months. It felt surreal.

* * *

**Aww...**

**Keep a look out for the next chapter! And pretty please review!**


	3. Leggy and Baby

**Be prepared for a lot of fluff in this one. **

**Also, has anyone else noticed that Castle Mondays have now become repeat-Castle Sundays?**

* * *

"Yes!" Castle exclaimed, fist pumping in the air. He had just gotten off the phone with Jerry Moss, who was delighted to hear the writer would be keeping Zenyatta's foal once it was born.

A million thoughts began to race through Castle's head. He had never owned a horse and neither had Kate (though she had had some previous experience). Not only were they venturing into the only semi-charted waters of parenting, they had to grapple with a foal as well. Secretly, Castle had a dream that this foal would one day run his own races, but he knew that was a long shot.

Everything was happening so quickly. Kate was due within the first week of November- how did that happen so quickly? Meanwhile, Zenyatta was due in May. May as in a month from April, which was currently happening. He wanted to go to Kentucky to be there when the little foal was born but he was not sure his wife would approve. Not much kept the woman from doing her job.

_Might as well talk to her when she gets home_, he resolved. Castle was supposed to be working on writing his next book, but he was too distracted. His browser was filled with research about foaling and babies. He had a website up to look at furniture for their nursery too. The research filled his afternoon and, by the time Kate walked through the door, he had barely written a sentence.

* * *

Castle was sitting with his laptop in the kitchen when Kate got home. Tired, but glad to see her husband, she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Resting her head on his shoulder, her eyes scanned the page he was on.

"Castle, did you do _any_ writing today?" she asked in mock sternness.

He titled his head back and to the side to look at her. "If I said no, would you still love me?" he asked with a smile.

Kate gave him a look and broke the embrace. "Not sure," she replied as she sauntered around to look for what they would have for dinner; she had been craving pasta.

"It would depend," she said with her head in their cupboard, groping for the box of penne, "on what you were doing instead of your job. Ah, pasta and pesto for dinner then?" She had found the blue box of pasta and now was holding it out for Castle to see.

"Sounds good. And I was actually researching places for our horse child to live and furniture for our human child to have in its nursery," Castle told her.

Kate peeked out where she was gathering ingredients. "Don't call the babies 'horse child' and 'human child,' it sounds like we're aliens," she said.

"What am I supposed to call them?" Castle inquired, amused at how defensive Kate became on the subject.

Kate shrugged. "You're the writer, think of nicknames. I thought naming was a paradise for you guys." She placed the pot of salted water on the stovetop and turned on the gas to boil it.

"I'll make the pesto," Castle offered, closing his laptop and sliding out of his chair.

For a while, they worked in comfortable silence. Communication was limited to glances and facial expressions. An onlooker may have thought it was strange, but it was not for them. It was "characteristically Caskett" as Esposito would put it.

"How was work today?" Castle asked right after Kate dumped the pasta into the boiling water.

"I told Gates I was pregnant," Kate replied, "She said no more house calls or arrests. Also, no more interrogations alone and eventually we have to address the interrogation situation. No more than I expected."

"She's just trying to keep you safe," Castle told her, hearing the slight distaste in his wife's voice.

The detective gave her partner a quiet smile. "I'm more worried about telling everyone else. I want to tell them all together, except for Alexis. We should tell her now. But everyone else can wait another month. We can tell them after Zenyatta's foal is born."

"Why tell Alexis separately?"

"Because," Kate said, "She's your daughter. The baby is going to be her younger sibling. I want her to be able to react however she chooses without having to put on a good face for everyone else."

"You're worried she won't take it well?"

"No, not at all. I just think it might take her a bit more time to get used to the idea. I'm an only child too. It would feel weird to start sharing my dad with somebody else- not romantically, just in that father-daughter way," she explained.

Castle nodded, understanding completely what Kate was saying. But her words also planted doubts in his mind. What if Alexis took this the wrong way? He had never put her reaction into the picture when he thought about having kids with Kate, and he had recently thought about it a lot. Castle frowned involuntarily and out of the corner of her eye, his wife saw this and lifted her head from watching the pasta as she stirred it.

"Castle, I wasn't banking on her being upset about this," she said with a touch of exasperation; he takes everything so literally, "I just want her to feel comfortable with this. And she, as a part of this immediate family, deserves to know first."

Her husband smiled. "I know. I just want everything to be perfect, you know?"

"Mm," she replied as she bit into a noodle and found it to be _al dente_, "I know. Now just put it out of your head until we see her tomorrow and let's finish dinner."

As she walked by with the pasta pot, she gave him a loving hip bump and a smile that only he had the pleasure of seeing.

Dinner was quiet and cozy, mostly filled with small talk. Then, after everything was washed and put away neatly, they curled up on the couch and read about Zenyatta on Castle's laptop together.

"I'd like to go to Kentucky for when the foal is born," Castle said as they finished reading about the mare's racing times.

"Castle," Kate started, "You can't pick and choose when the foal is born. We can only predict around a time window."

"But you have vacation days, right?" he pressed.

She huffed a sigh. "Yes, I do. Why don't you give me the time window and we'll go from there, okay?"

"Thank you," Castle said to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Don't thank me yet. That's not a yes!" Kate told him.

He just chuckled. "I'm your husband, Kate, I know you want to see Leggy born as much as I do."

"Leggy?"

"You said to think of nicknames. I read that foals have really long legs before they mature, so I named the foal Leggy," Castle said, looking quite proud of his explanation for the etymology of the name.

Kate rolled her eyes, but added something to their conversation. "I think, until we get to know our biological little one, we should just call the baby Baby. I know it's not creative, but it sounds right."

"No, Kate. It's perfect," Castle murmured, moving his arm from around her shoulder and pressing the hand on her stomach gently, "Just be prepared for a couple _Dirty Dancing_ references."

* * *

**Aww. Next chapter is the conversation with Alexis.**

** Reviews are always welcome, and also tell me some of your ideas for the foal's name!**


	4. A Call For Celebration

**Hello readers! Apologies for the delay in chapters. I've discovered a wealth of new fanfictions about my favorite ship (Remus and Tonks) from _Harry Potter_ and have been reading them incessantly. But enjoy and look out for a new chapter soon!**

* * *

Kate had to admit, being out of the city was a nice change from the hustle and bustle and "this person got killed" that she was used to dealing with. The passenger window had been rolled all the way down and, almost in a dog-like fashion, the pregnant detective was letting the wind flow through her hair as she watched the farms pass by in a blur. The spring air tasted like flowers and rainwater (with the slightest taint of cow), and Kate relished in the non-acridity of it all.

She and Castle were currently driving through West Virignia on their way to Versailles, Kentucky. It was May eighth, and they had received a call saying Zenyatta would likely foal any day now. After a considerable amount of begging on Castle's part and an order from Gates that Kate take a bit of time off work (after Castle dropped the comment that his wife had been unusually tired), as well as an agreement from Alexis that Kate needed to take _some_ time off work, she had finally caved and told Castle they could go to Kentucky for Zenyatta.

Alexis and Martha were the only ones who knew exactly why they were going because Castle and Kate had decided to have some fun with their colleagues once the foal was born.

Kate thought back to the conversation they had with her step-daughter and mother-in-law nearly three weeks earlier. It had been a lot easier than previously thought after Alexis remarked that she knew Kate was pregnant, having found a pregnancy test discarded in the main bathroom when she came over a while before.

_"Why didn't you say anything, Alexis?" Kate had asked._

_ The young redhead shrugged. "I figured you'd tell me, Gram, and everyone else when you were ready. But the more important questions is this: do you have any pictures of my sibling?" Her eyes had lit up considerably when the answer was yes._

_ Grandmother and big sister had looked at the sonogram picture in turns and each cooed and offered their congratulations to a relieved looking Kate and a beaming Castle._

_ "There's more," Castle told them when the initial congratulations had stopped._

_ "Darling," Martha said, "What could possibly be more than your child?"_

_ Castle replied, "What I mean is, the baby isn't the only new addition to the family. In a few weeks we're going to have another addition. Only, it's not a baby human. It's… well it's a baby horse."_

_ Alexis broke the silence that hung over the family for a moment after Castle dropped the bomb. "You're joking," she said, looking from Kate to her father. _

_ "Unfortunately," Kate told her, "We're not."_

After that statement, it had taken around an hour for everything to be explained and understood. Martha's response was "I hope you know what you're getting into" and Alexis's was "I supposed getting a sibling and a horse at the same time will make up for not getting either as a child." Her eyes glittered with humor, which set Kate at ease to know the conversation had, indeed, gone well.

Kate smiled at thinking of the next few weeks of bonding time she had with her step-daughter. Alexis had been sad that she couldn't come to watch the foal be born, but still tried to contribute as much as possible. She was a wealth of information on both Kate's pregnancy and Zenyatta's, being most helpful with organizing everything for registering the new foal with The Jockey Club (after someone anonymous called Castle to make a legal statement the foal had been conceived by _live cover_. When Castle asked why the person was calling, the voice only said that it was optimistic about the foal's future).

"Kate?" a far away voice called, breaking the woman from her reverie.

"Hmm?"

Castle smiled, taking his wife's hand. "You were miles away, what were you thinking about?"

"Everything," she replied, "Just what's been going on and the foal and such."

"Car rides are good for that," he commented, "Especially as a passenger. How are you feeling?"

"Castle, I'm fine. I don't feel sick or anything, I promise." It was true. Although morning sickness had been a horrid problem recently, Kate did not even feel a touch of it today. She had slept most of the way through Pennsylvania, only waking to go to the bathroom on the border before entering West Virginia. Now they were in the middle of that state, and the only thing she was really feeling was itchy feet to get to Versailles.

As if he sensed her itch, Castle spoke to distract her a bit from the long drive. "So," he started, "Have you thought of any names yet?"

"For what, the horse or the baby?" Kate asked.

"Both. We can't call them Leggy and Baby forever."

Kate scrunched her face for a minute before responding. "I'd like both names to be meaningful, but not blatantly so. Personally, I think we need to see the foal before naming it."

Nodding in agreement, Castle said, "I think so too. But what about the baby?"

"I do know that if it's a girl, I'd like to name her with Lanie in mind," she told him.

"What about your mom?" Castle asked, not even beating around the bush.

"I don't want our child's name to be a memorial Castle. We should celebrate it, not feel an ache when we speak it. I still can't say my mother's name without some sort of feelings bubbling up inside me. I don't want to say my kid's name and have feelings that don't even apply to him or her," she stated firmly.

Castle smiled, thumb running up and down the back of her hand. "All right then, that part of naming is settled."

* * *

They arrived at their hotel just past nine pm. Having eaten dinner at a rest stop, there was no reason to order room service and instead, the couple entered their room and fell into bed.

"That has got to be the longest drive ever," Castle remarked, flexing his fingers in and out, "I never knew hands cold get so many knots."

"You should have let me drive," Kate said, tugging his hand to her so she could massage it. Her lean fingers fit perfectly in the dips between his larger fingers. It was only one of the ways they were a perfect fit.

Castle huffed, "No way. You shouldn't be driving long distances in your condition. The Crown Vic is fine but not to Kentucky."

"Castle, please don't start the 'in your condition' crap. I'm trying to wait that out until Ryan and Esposito know."

"I can't believe they haven't figured it out yet. Not that I don't give us and Gates credit for hiding it well, but they're detectives. And they know you pretty well."

"Well maybe it's because they know me so well that they don't notice it. Anyways, it's not like I'm visibly showing or anything," she said, gesturing to her stomach.

They both knew that that was not totally true, in the past weeks both had noticed a slight swell in Kate's abdomen, but under clothes it was barely visible except to the two of them.

"I can't wait until people do notice," Castle told her with a mischievous grin, "It might be greedy but I want people to know you're carrying _my_ child."

"Reaffirming that you still have swimmies in your advanced age, eh Rick?" Kate joked.

"You'll pay for that!" Castle declared, rolling over and beginning to tickle her mercilessly, albeit gently, until she begged for release.

Although Kate was tired, she ended up not sleeping until quite a few hours later and enjoying every minute of wakefulness.

* * *

**So there you have it! The little point about _live cover_ breeding is annoying because most other registries do not require it. But that anonymous voice will be very important much later on!**


	5. In The Same Boat

**Wow! Another chapter! In this chapter, a very close friendship is formed and we see quite a nice side of our dear friend Kate. Enjoy!**

**Also, to MorgieSan: It's Land's End Farm in Versailles, if that's the one you're talking about. Glad to hear your personal connection to the story ^_^**

* * *

Perhaps the most beautiful sight Kate had seen in her life was the view when she and Castle rolled up to Lane's End Farm the next day. Actually, it was the second most beautiful because the first was Castle standing and waiting for her at the altar. Either way, the farm was gorgeous. Acres and acres of green paddocks and a near-cloudless sky shone like some sort of heaven on Earth.

"God, Castle, this place is amazing!" Kate gushed in what Castle thought was definitely a pregnancy hormone-induced state. Her enthusiasm was beyond what even he felt when he saw the farm.

Horses dotted the paddocks here and there, mostly bays but every so often there was a gray or a chestnut mixed in. Castle secretly hoped their foal was different from the rest, palomino or something but he knew how highly improbable that was. He had frequently pestered Kate about what she wished for with the foal, but all she said was "healthy."

Hopefully they would know soon, Castle had gotten the call around eleven that Zenyatta might foal as early as tonight. He asked if they could meet her before then, and with permission, they set of to Lane's End to do exactly that.

Castle parked the car in the Visitor's Lot, got out and opened the door for his wife, who got out without taking his offered hand. She wanted to remain independent in getting up off a seat for as long as possible.

Once in the office building on the property, which Kate deemed "quaint," a man named Joe who took primary care of Zenyatta met them. He ushered them through a few rows of stalls before coming to larger, cleaner ones. A few mares occupied them, but were all separated by at least two empty stalls. The end stall had a heavily pregnant, brown (or dark bay) mare in it. She had a white blaze down her face and looked at Castle and Kate with calm eyes.

"And this, Mr. and Mrs. Castle, is Zenyatta," Joe announced. He then gestured to her quite large barrel, "And the bump is your foal." Husband, wife, and Joe laughed at the bit of humor and at the same time, Zenyatta snorted which made Kate think she did not enjoy her child being the butt of a joke.

Joe shifted his weight from his right foot to his left and said, "I'll leave you guys to get better acquainted. We have video cameras watched 24/7 –especially now- so you can go in the stall as long as you're very careful. No sudden movements or loud noises."

"Actually, Joe," Castle stopped him before he could leave, "I was wondering if I could see the rest of the barn and talk to you about what will happen next. Kate, you'll be fine on your own, right?"

"Sure, Mr. Castle," Joe said at the same time that Kate murmured "Uh-huh."

Castle grinned, his eyes squinting a little. "Excellent." He kissed his wife's temple before following Joe out of the foaling aisle.

Now the only sounds were occasional movements from the other mares in their own quite spacious stalls.

Kate had been around other horses before, but she still felt nervous with Zenyatta. This was one of the most valuable horses in the racing world. She probably had her own security detail. The anxiety made her feel clammy, but Kate Beckett-Castle was no Nervous Nellie.

She gripped the shiny latch on the stall door, unlocked it, and pulled the door open enough so that a human could slide through comfortably.

Zenyatta pricks her ears in interest and raises her head. For the first time, Kate realizes just how tall the mare is. _Wouldn't want to face a figure like her on the wrong side of an interrogation table_, Kate thought to herself.

Tentatively, Kate inched her right hand forward with the palm facing up to let the dark mare get used to her scent. Zenyatta inched forward, and put her muzzle to the woman's hand. Her hot breath was oddly comforting to Kate, and the mare must have decided that this lady was not threatening because she moved even closer and began to curiously sniff at Kate's hair. Then she worked her way down, taking in this human from head to toe.

Kate thought it was peculiar that Zenyatta stopped for a moment at her stomach when she passed it the first time and then lingered there again on her journey back up Kate's body.

"Guess you've figured it out already," Kate told the horse, "We're in the same boat. Though you get to get off it before me."

The horse breathed out heavily in response. _I'm talking to a horse,_ Kate thought to herself_, but it feels like she gets it more than anyone else_. The connection between them felt obvious, like it had to be real. And Kate knew if was not one sided, Zenyatta seemed more than comfortable with her; she was currently nibbling the aglet on Kate's sweatshirt tie and occasionally tugging at it gently.

Kate reached out a hand to stroke the mare's shiny neck (she was obviously very well taken care of). In this moment, she felt more relaxed than she had at all since she found out about being pregnant. All the stress seemed to melt away now that she was sharing it with someone. Of course, Zenyatta had had foals before so it probably was not the same, but it was close.

"You're going to have to teach me how to do this mothering thing," she told Zenyatta, "I had a mom, but she died when I was nineteen. I remember her, but not from when I was younger. And Castle, the man with me before- he's my husband, his mom isn't exactly the mother I'd like to emulate all the time. I promise I'll take really good care of your baby when he comes to live with us as long as you teach me how. And then our kids can grow up together. Is that okay?"

Zenyatta snorted again and Kate started thinking that the mare actually understood what was being said.

"When we start the naming process, you're going to have to help with the 'yeas' and 'nays' okay?"

This time Zenyatta nickered a little and sniffed at Kate's abdomen again, clearly knowing something was inside her new friend.

Kate laughed. "Exactly. That's the sound you can make for 'no.'"

Another human voice joined the conversation. "Kate? Are you still here?"

The bronze-haired detective turned to stand side by side with Zenyatta. "Yeah, Castle. I'm in Zenyatta's stall."

Her husband peeked his head in the stall and smiled. "Glad to see you guys have hit it off well," he said with a smile, "I was coming to ask if you wanted to get some food and then come back. Joe says we can stay to see if she foals tonight. We can even watch on the video camera!" He was obviously quite excited about this prospect.

Kate looked at Zenyatta and then back at her husband. "That sounds amazing," she told him. She gave Zenyatta a final, gentle pat and whispered a "see you later" before joining her husband outside the stall and closing the door.

With one last glance, she and Castle set off down the barn aisle, Castle's arm around Kate's waist and her head resting on his shoulder as she pressed close. Excitement to meet Zenyatta's foal bubbled up in Kate for the first time. Suddenly, it became very real (before it was just "surreal") that she, too, would be a mother.

* * *

**You can probably guess what the next chapter will be about. Anyone want to try and guess the color, gender, markings etc. of the foal? I'll honor you in the next chapter if you get it right :] A hint: This foal works well with the Castle family**


	6. Little Boy Blue

**Three for three, go me! As promised, I am honoring the people who got the foal's color, markings, gender, etc. right:**

**For color, congrats conservativegirl, codedriver, superrogue17, and Guest!**

**Unfortunately, nobody got the gender or markings right (the markings are a bit spooky).**

**This chapter is also dedicated to_ stayshiney. _Your review gave me a huge smile and I am so privileged to have readers like you.**

* * *

As the small party of five had settled down to watch Zenyatta's foal's birth from a webcam, Joe had told Kate and Castle that the first phase of the birth was generally characterized by a restless mare. What they had not been told was that the mare was not the only restless being. Joe kept standing up and sitting down again, the barn manager (a lovely young woman named Melissa) kept murmuring "not long now," and her assistant (a boy a little younger than Alexis named Ian) made no point at hiding his impatience and had taken to pacing the floor. Meanwhile, Castle had been standing behind Kate's chair and massaging her shoulders; but he had gotten so anxious that it felt like he was now bruising them.

"Can everyone just _stop_?" Kate suddenly snapped. She instantly blushed crimson when she realized the comment had been said aloud and four pairs of eye turned to look at her.

The detective wished she could hide within herself. "Sorry," she muttered.

"Wait!" cried Melissa and Kate snapped her head up, think it was her comment the young manager was making a remark on.

Joe and Ian instantly leapt to the screen of the laptop they were using and Castle and Kate mimicked them as well.

"Her water's broke!" Ian announced looking pleased that he could say it first.

"How do you know?" Castle asked curiously.

Joe used a pen as his pointer. "She voided much more fluid than regular urination. And look there," he pointed to a whitish membrane now visible, "That's her amniotic sac. The foal is in there."

"Wow," Castle breathed.

Kate smirked at her husband's wonder. She thought the entire process was amazing, but at the same time had a weird feeling that this moment should be private for Zenyatta. Watching felt intrusive. _I wouldn't want my baby's birth broadcast via webcam_, she thought to herself. On that topic, she made a mental note to set birthing guidelines with Castle as soon as possible.

"And there are the front feet," Melissa said as more of the amniotic sac emerged.

"Everything looks good," Joe remarked, sounding very relieved. Castle said he overheard that the last few births at the farm had not gone over well.

As Zenyatta continued doing all the hard work, Joe, Melissa, and Ian took turns announcing what part of the foal had come out.

"The shoulders are out!" Ian cried excitedly, gripping Melissa's arm. She turned to face him with an expression much like Kate's to Castle and he backed off. Minutes after, the rest of the foal slid out and everyone held their breath.

The amniotic sac broke and a little wet, white head poked out and sniffed the air for the first time.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief and there was a collective "aww" from the five of them. The staff was hugging each other and Kate turned to face Castle who kissed her sweetly with a smile on his face.

"That will be us soon," he whispered to her. Kate just smiled and nodded, cuddling into him and relishing in his warmth.

Joe cleared his throat a bit pointedly. "Ehm, well… we can meet the newest addition now," he said, cheeks turning a bit red when he caught Kate's eye.

* * *

Leggy was quite possibly the cutest thing on four legs Kate decided as she stood in the stall's doorway, watching the little foal walk around Zenyatta in a circle.

Born at 10:24 in the evening, the little colt (baby boy) had stuck very well to Castle tradition. He was a magnificent shade of chestnut already, a little darker than Alexis's hair color ("he's definitely one of us," Alexis had responded to the picture Kate sent). His most defining feature, however, was his face. It was characterized by what Melissa described as a "bald face" which meant, unlike his chestnut color, his face was nearly all white, minus the cheeks and top of his forehead (meaning his forelock was still chestnut-colored). Everyone so far had commented that while Leggy was cute, the bald face was a bit creepy. It also meant that he had blue eyes, quite a rare trait for a horse, but reaffirming that he was definitely a Castle at heart. Kate swore that his sky-colored eyes had darkened a bit and she secretly hoped they would become a blue shade similar to the one she craved so much in her husband.

_Oh Leggy…_ The nickname had stuck, even though they had not figured out a "show name" for him yet. Castle had thrown out names from "Legsalot" to "Cinnamon Chewing Gum," but Kate kept vetoing them. She insisted Leggy would name himself eventually. Melissa had also cautioned that trying to name a Thoroughbred could be quite tricky. The register gave ten slots for a name, but you were lucky to get numbers nine or ten on your third try. She had advised they wait a little bit before naming him formally.

Kate smiled as the little colt walked over to her and sniffed at her stomach, much like his mother did every time she came over. She patted Leggy's neck and ran her fingers through his reddish mane (or as Castle called it, his "Foal-hawk"). Zenyatta came over too, towering over her foal, one eye keeping watch over him.

"Hi, girl," Kate murmured, stroking the big mare's nose, "I came to say goodbye. Remember I told you that we live really far away? Castle and I have to go back there now, but we'll visit you and Leggy really soon." Her companion nickered in return and nibbled at Kate's low ponytail, which had been draped over her left shoulder.

Leggy tried to copy his mother, but could not quite reach as high as Kate's ponytail. Instead, he settled on a wrinkle in her shirt. She chuckled quietly and rubbed the little colt's ears. "Cutie," she told him.

"Kate?" the voice of Castle called down the aisle. He came down to Zenyatta's stall and grinned at the scene before him.

"Hey," she greeted him, "I was just saying goodbye."

"Of course," Castle said, adding his own hand to the ear-rubbing of Leggy, "It's time to go now, though."

"Okay," Kate responded, her voice rasping slightly. Her hand slipped off Leggy's ears and he thrust his head forward in protest.

Castle took his wife's hand, closed the stall door, and led her away. As Kate looked back at Zenyatta's figure in the stall, she felt her eyes grow wet and itchy and a lump form in her throat. It was like she was leaving a piece of herself behind, and she wished terribly that she could take that piece with her.

* * *

**Aww, isn't he such a cutie? Little Leggy. Keep those name suggestions coming, you all have very imaginative minds!**


	7. I Try, and My Tries Are Pretty Good

**This is like, my best streak of writing ever (okay, me, now don't jinx it). I decided to add just a little angst to the fluff, hope you don't mind. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zenyatta, so anything that I do with her is purely fictional. Though, she is in foal so maybe the foal will be Leggy ^_^**

**This chapter is dedicated to conservativegirl for her continuing support and glowing reviews!**

* * *

Ceilings are boring. Nothing interesting goes on with a ceiling. It had a bit of paint and a few bumps but no character. No wooden beams or annoying cobwebs. No random bits of leaf or hay hanging from the ceiling. Just dull white. Boring white. Hideous white.

Kate sighed. She was laying on her and Castle's bed, staring up at the ceiling with no interest in doing anything more. Absentmindedly, her hands rubbed up and down her belly. The slight swell had increased over the past few weeks, she was now at thirteen weeks.

She should be excited about this. Her body was changing to accommodate a life, one she and Castle had made together. And yet, here she was… depressed. _I thought it was called __**post**__-partem depression_, Kate thought to herself darkly.

All she could think about since they left Kentucky was Leggy and Zenyatta. The pictures and webcam was not enough. She wanted to feel the soft foal fur and mane beneath her fingers, hear the snorts and whinnies from each of them, and have that absolute love from the both of them.

Absolute love… _Castle_. Her poor partner had been putting up with so much recently. All she did was go to work, do her job, come home, and go to sleep. She ate, but only enough to keep her baby healthy. She barely engaged in conversation with the man that used to make her so vocal. Days she did not work (much like today) were the worst. She never even got out of bed.

At first, Castle had pushed her to talk about why she was so upset. But finally he gave up. Most nights, he slept in the guest bed now. He was not angry with her, just frustrated that he could not make her happy.

Everyone knew something was wrong being that Castle never showed up at the Precinct any more. Kate never talked unless it was work related. They had not told anyone but Gates, Martha, Alexis, and Jim that she was pregnant and because she was not showing yet and they were not in a good place, both decided to hold off before saying anything.

What had happened to the happy couple they were only three weeks ago?

"Kate?" a voice broke the woman from her thoughts. She turned her head to the door, fixing a barely-there stare on her husband. His eyes were solemn, like every time she saw him now. To Castle, Kate looked like shell, empty except for the little life growing inside her. It caused him a lot of pain to look at her now.

He shifted, his hand gesturing to the bed and then falling limply at his side. Understanding this as a question as to whether or not he could join her, Kate nodded slowly.

He sat down on the bed next to her and sighed. His face creased in lines that Kate had not noticed before. She realized how much she was taking a toll on him. But there was no way he could help her.

"I know that recently we've been in a terrible place. And Kate, I'm so, so sorry. But it's gotten to be too much. I can't stay here and watch you continue to waste away, Kate. I just can't," he told her.

Suddenly, a little life flooded back into Kate and her eyes filled with emotion. "Rick, you can't," she said to him.

"Can't?" he asked, astonished but trying to keep her talking.

She took a deep breath, obviously trying to stay calm. "I know- I know I've been terrible recently. I can't help how I feel. And I've been horrible to you. But I'm asking you, begging you, Rick, please don't leave me. Please don't walk out. Just don't," her plea ended with a resigned whisper and she dropped her head.

Castle took in a sharp breath as well and put his hand under her chin, bringing her head up to look at him. "Who said anything about leaving?" he asked.

"I-I thought…when you said you couldn't stand this… that you-you were going to…" she trailed off.

"Oh, Kate," Castle cried softly, throwing his arms around her and pulling her in close. In turn, she embraced him, holding tightly to make sure nothing could pass between their bodies. She had not felt this closeness in weeks.

"Kate," Castle murmured, "I was never going to leave you. Never. I just need you to tell me what's wrong."

Kate pulled away from him, just enough to look up. "Leggy," she whispered quietly, "And Zenyatta. I just… I can't stand being this far apart from them. I know we can't move, but I'm just not happy without them near us anymore. Castle, I don't know what to do."

"I do," he told her quietly, "I thought that was what was bothering you. Get changed and get some shoes on. We're going out."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Just do it, Kate," he told her, trying to keep a smile from peeking through his façade.

* * *

"Castle, where are we?" Kate asked about an hour later as she heard a muffled sound like a car door opening and then felt warm air on her face. In order to maintain the surprise, Castle had nearly blocked out three of Kate's five senses. She was blindfolded, the blindfold also covered her ears and her nose.

He lifted up one of the pieces covering her ear to talk. "Just wait and see," he told her before patting down the flap again. Although Kate could have easily ripped off the blindfold, she wanted it to be a surprise. It had made her giddier than anything else these past few weeks.

Castle took her hand once she had gotten out of their car and moved behind her. She understood immediately that he would lead her by her shoulders. At this point, Kate trusted her husband enough not to protest.

Their footsteps crunched on what Kate thought to be rocks but soon he nudged her foot to step up and they began walking on a smoother, hard surface. The air tasted familiar but Kate was not thinking too hard about it.

Then, Castle turned her to the right and stopped her. "Okay," he said once he lifted an ear flap, "I'm going to take the blindfold off now. One, two, three." He untied it and pulled it off. Kate's eyes fluttered to get used to the lighting and she breathed deeply from her nose. It smelled like… a barn! Her eyes focused on what was in front of her.

"Oh, Castle, you didn't," Kate murmured, her voice cracking with emotion as she saw what his surprise was.

There stood Zenyatta and Leggy in their stall, a double stall guard had been put up so neither the larger or the smaller could escape but they could still get air. Leggy had grown so much even in the few weeks since Kate had last seen him up close. His color had slightly lightened and his eyes had darkened a bit (almost to the shade of blue Kate had been hoping for).

The weight of depression had been instantly lifted from Kate's shoulders and she now felt that warmth of happiness come back inside her. She had started glowing again. Zenyatta came up, gave Kate's belly the familiar sniff, and then put her muzzle to Kate's face while Leggy sniffed at her hand. Kate giggled and reached out to stroke the little colt.

"Castle, how did you? When did you?" she could not form sentences.

"I called about a week ago when I realized what was probably wrong. They got in two days ago after we called in _a lot_ of favors. Obviously, Leggy can't be separated from Zenyatta so we had to bring them both. So Jerry and I worked out a plan. Zenyatta can stay with Leggy and us up here, but we have to pay for bringing up stallions so she can still be a broodmare. And then Leggy will stay up here and be weaned and trained and everything. That way, we can come visit whenever we want, even whenever just one of us wants," Castle explained with a grin, "I…uh… I hope you like this, Kate."

Kate turned to face him, smiling, her face stopping an inch from his. "I absolutely love it, Castle. Thank you."

"Always," he said before kissing her and having her respond with enough fervor that Zenyatta nudged Leggy away.

* * *

**Aww, now that wasn't too bad, was it? The next chapter is going to be all about names. I think I have a name picked out that has not been taken in the real horse world but I'd love to hear your ideas. Even if I won't use them, I will incorporate them into the dialogue!**

**Also, I have a note that needs to be addressed: At first posting this chapter, I received a review saying that expressed disbelief that Kate could so easily be lifted out of her depression by Leggy and Zenyatta without therapy. My response for this anonymous guest (whom I love for asking this) and anyone else with this view is this: I volunteer a lot of my time with adaptive riding and equine assisted therapy. The bond between human and horse is one of the most powerful pieces of "real magic" in our world. It's impossible to put into writing, but amazing to witness or feel. When I volunteer and see a client genuinely have their quality of life improve because of a horse, have their depression literally vanish at the sight of their companion, I know that this would be the same for Kate. Losing a horse you love is like having your soul ripped in two. It never can be totally repaired unless they're right back with you. But when you see them, it's like nothing ever happened.**


	8. Always Loving You

**This one is kind of long, but I love the first part. Second part is a bit awkward, but I still think it's cute. Enjoy! And thank you to everyone who contributed names to the list.**

**A/N: Registration of a Thoroughbred is a beyond tricky process. In the future, I am going to tear apart one key rule for registration with The Jockey Club heh heh. I encourage you all to look up the requirements, because it really makes you respect the people who go through this process as a living.**

* * *

"I got it!" Castle exclaimed suddenly, breaking the quiet Kate had been enjoying as she stroked Leggy's nose affectionately. The colt was currently lying down, his head under the stall guard, while Kate sat cross-legged in front of him and Castle next to her.

"Got what?" Kate asked as Leggy lifted his head slightly before once again laying it down and flicking his ear to tell Kate to keep up the nose-stroking.

"A name for our little Leggy. I was thinking we could go for a literary angle. How about Heated Rook?"

Kate huffed a sigh. "Castle, I told you, no references to Nikki Heat."

"Rook's Storm?"

"Now you're just stroking your ego," she said with a smirk. His response was a chuckle. Obviously, Castle had already known how that would go over.

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon and Kate had the day off. Therefore, she and Castle made the drive out to see Zenyatta and Leggy and were currently brainstorming name ideas to put on Leggy's application. They had ten slots, but could barely agree on any names. How were they supposed to name their unborn child if they could barely name Leggy?

"What about something like 'Hawthorne Bush' (with the 'e' at the end) or 'Wilde Ride' (again with the 'e')? Literary, but subtle," Castle suggested.

"I like those," Kate said, "Especially 'Wilde Ride,' that's very clever."

Castle clicked his tongue while looking down at his phone. "'Wilde Ride' is a no go, it's a mare's name. But 'Hawthorne Bush' works.' Kate wrote down "Hawthorne Bush."

"And then we have 'Masquerade Mystery,' 'Keys to the City,'" she muttered to herself.

"And 'Fillion,'" Castle said.

Kate shook her head. "No, I told you. There's some actor with that name. The one that kind of looks like you."

"Please," Castle told her, "No actor is this ruggedly handsome."

Kate laughed but soon returned to being serious about the name. "And then Alexis said about 'Four-Legged Brother' which is adorable."

"Oh, and 'Show Me Your Hooves,'" Castle said. Leggy gave him a look at that one. Kate noted to herself to put that one at the bottom of the list.

"That's nine," she said, "We just need a tenth."

Zenyatta came over from the back of the stall to nose at Leggy. The foal stirred from his blissful daydream state and then got up, shaking out his coat into his mother and Kate. The humans laughed at Zenyatta's exasperated look while Leggy just acted innocent, nosing his mother for milk.

"It's a wonder that she still puts up with him after that," Castle joked.

"It's a mother's love, Castle. No matter what happens, it's always there," Kate told him, placing a hand over her stomach. She was suddenly reminded that they needed to tell their friends about Leggy and the baby soon. Kate had the picture from her latest sonogram in her wallet, not wanting to let it go yet. Fourteen weeks pregnant and starting to feel the pull in her work clothes. Esposito and Ryan either knew or were totally oblivious and Kate had not recently seen Lanie because of her recent bad mood and the subsequent lull in her workload.

"I think," Castle replied after a moment of pondering, "That any true love is always there. I mean, look at you and me. Even when we fight, even before our romantic involvement, the love was always there."

"Castle, that's perfect," Kate cried.

"What? 'Always There?' I don't really like it," he told her.

"What about, 'Always Loving You?' You and I say that to each other whenever we talk about before we were together. And it doesn't just mean in the past, it means in the future too," she reasoned.

"You're right," Castle told her with a twinkle in his eye, "It is perfect." He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her hairline. Leggy, finished nursing, thrust his muzzle forward and with a chuckle, Castle kissed that too.

-Line Break-

_One name down_, Kate thought as she looked at the approval papers for Leggy's registration. Or should she say, Always Loving You's registration. He was now a recognized Thoroughbred and Kate could not be prouder.

Tonight was the big reveal. She and Castle had invited Martha, Alexis, Jim, Gates, Esposito and Lanie, and Ryan and Jenny to the Old Haunt. At fifteen weeks, Kate knew they could not put off telling anyone for much longer. Gates wanted to set more limits (which Castle fully supported) and it was getting hard to avoid the questions about why the couple was barely in the Precinct together (because they liked playing with Leggy) or why Castle never got coffee for Kate anymore (there was a certain someone limiting that). That being said, Gates also had pulled Kate aside the day before and said she strongly suggested telling the boys in case there was an emergency and she was unable to speak for herself.

So, they threw together this little gathering, complete with registration papers, sonogram pictures, and a few cutsies of Leggy and Zenyatta. Food, drinks (both virgin and alcoholic) and friendship. _Wow, that narration was soft_, Kate thought amusedly.

She got up off the couch in Castle's office with slightly more effort than in weeks prior and put Leggy's papers in the safe place with the rest of their documents and photos. Almost as soon as she did that, the door opened and down came Gates, followed closely behind by Kate and Castle's family.

"Darling," Martha greeted her, breezing in and kissing her daughter-in-law on both cheeks, "how are you? And how are my grandkids?" Martha had taken to calling Leggy her grandchild just as Alexis had taken to calling him her brother. Both had fallen in love with the little foal as soon as they saw him.

"Wait," Gates said before Kate could respond, "I thought you were only having one baby."

"Oh," Kate replied, turning slightly pink, "No, Sir, Martha didn't mean twins. We have another announcement besides the baby. Both are doing fine, Martha, thank you."

Martha smiled warmly, retreating to the table where the wine was set up.

Kate, in turn, had a chance to greet her father (who had also looked momentarily confused. Kate had caved and told him about his human grandchild when he interrogated her about sounding off during their last phone call, but had held out on Leggy) and Alexis.

Before anything more could be said, Castle came downstairs followed by the rest of their friends. Esposito, smiling and nodding to everyone; Lanie, as bubbly as ever, her eye going straight to Kate because she knew _something_ was up; Ryan, cheery and serene; and Jenny, who looked happy but seemed to have her mind drift elsewhere for a few seconds at a time (which Kate instantly attributed to leaving their daughter Maggie with a babysitter).

Greetings were exchanged, although most of them had just seen each other at work hours before, and when Kate got to Lanie, she was instantly pulled aside.

"Katherine Beckett-Castle," the feisty ME whisper-hissed, "What has been up with you lately? You get back from that vacation you and Writer Boy took, and you're a mess. Now you're fine, you haven't called me at all, and you invite me here? Is there something you'd like to say?"

Grinning, Kate responded, "Look, Lanie, I am so sorry about how foul I was. I went through a rough few weeks when we got back, but now everything is fine, more than fine. And if you just wait until everyone gets settled in, I swear Castle and I will explain everything."

"You'd better," Lanie growled.

Kate was not about to back down from her word. Once everyone had settled into food and drink and were all seated comfortably or else leaning against something, she nudged her husband with her elbow and gave him the "let's get going" look.

Immediately understanding her, Castle stood up and helped his wife up. Then he cleared his throat quite loudly. Too many eyes to count looked at the husband and wife.

"Um, so, as some of you have guessed, we have a reason for bringing you all here tonight," Castle began, "Actually, we have two reasons."

Ryan raised an eyebrow at the last part of Castle's statement. After talking with Jenny about Kate's weird behavior a couple weeks back, he had deduced she was pregnant and kept it to himself, knowing they would say something eventually. But _two_? What other news could they be sharing?

"So, back in April, Kate and I surprised each other with big news on the same night," he started with a look at his wife.

"And," Kate cut in to share her piece of the news, "He let me go first, so we figured we would give you the news in the same way. Some of you know or might have guessed this, but to make it official- I'm pregnant!" Her words ended in a big grin and after the weight of it sunk in, the room was filled with congratulations.

"About time!" Lanie called over the others, her face lit up in almost as many watts as Kate's glow burned at all the time.

When the news had died down, Ryan, really curious as to if that was two reasons or only one, asked, "So what was your news, Castle?"

The room fell silent again, Gates leaning forward a bit because she knew it had something to do with another "grandchild."

"Right," Castle replied, "Well besides looking at proud new parents, you're also looking at proud new owners of a lovely little boy named Leggy."

"Someone named their child Leggy?" Esposito asked incredulously.

Both Kate and Castle started laughing, along with Alexis and Martha. "No," Kate said between chuckles, "We _nicknamed_ a _horse_ Leggy."

"A _horse_?" Lanie exclaimed.

Kate pulled the frame picture of Leggy off Castle's desk and gave it to Lanie. Everyone else crowded around to get a look at the photo.

"Everyone, the cute little four-legged thing looking at you with his most adorable face is Always Loving You a.k.a, Leggy," Castle announced.

"Well, Mr. Castle," Gates said, "He definitely has your eyes."

* * *

**So there you have the first part of the gathering. And with it, we get Always Loving You's name but Baby is still Baby. I do have a name and gender already decided, but anyone willing to make guesses can make it into their dialogue ^_^**


	9. What A Ham

**Welcome to the continuation of the last chapter's final scene... and a bit more. Captain Gates makes an appearance too. I envision her as Leggy's #1 Fan. We also see a little bit of young love in this, which I may build on later. Heh heh. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Dreamer_ or the quote I used**

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Esposito started, speaking for the entire group, "You two now own-er- Leggy? And own a piece of his mother. Meanwhile, you're also expecting your own kid? How do you expect to handle all of this?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Espo," Kate replied, "I've cut back a lot at work. And by stopping working overtime, Castle and I have been able to visit Leggy quite often." Her smile gave away how smitten she was with the colt. No matter how spooky he looked at times, Leggy had only continued to grow on her.

"When can we meet him?" Gates asked almost immediately after that. She, out of everyone, looked the most excited by this news. Kate had never pegged her Captain for a softy, but then she never knew she could become so depressed from a foal either so maybe it was the same idea.

"Any time you want," Castle told her, his arm wrapping around Kate's shoulder and tugging her closer.

That lifted the weight off the room a little bit and soon everyone was making plans to visit Leggy and Zenyatta. They also started flipping through all the photos Kate and Castle had, mixing in a coo or two.

Later, when everyone had gone expect for Lanie and Esposito, Kate finally had a minute alone with her best friend.

"I wish you'd have told me everything earlier, Kate. I would have been able to help somehow," Lanie said sternly.

Kate sighed. "I know, Lanie, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay with the baby and then when we got back from Kentucky, I couldn't even think about Leggy without reducing myself to tears. But I have something that might make up for it…a little."

"Castle and I both agree, we want you to be Leggy's guardian if anything happens to us. That means you'll call the shots on what happens to him, if we're incapacitated," Kate told her.

Lanie raised an eyebrow. "You're trusting me with your horse?"

"Yes," Kate answered affirmatively.

"That's the sweetest thing a friend has ever done Kate," Lanie squealed, pulling her friend in for a fierce (but gentle given Kate's condition) hug, "I promise I'll spoil the little guy rotten." Kate laughed, hugging her friend back. At least that rough patch was behind her.

* * *

"Hey," Castle greeted his wife the next afternoon, emerging from his office after a large writing streak. Kate was sitting on the couch, credits of a movie rolling.

"Hey," she murmured, stretching her back out and gesturing for him to come sit with her. Once he did, she snuggled into him and let out a contented sigh.

"What were you watching?" he asked in a low voice.

She replied quietly, "_Dreamer_, it's about a racehorse that breaks a canon bone but heals and goes on to win the Breeder's Cup."

"What about the other characters?"

"There's a father and a mother and daughter and the horse. And also a grandfather, and a jockey and his friend. Like us, Leggy, my dad, Ryan and Espo, and our baby," Kate told him, "Only no jockey."

"Only no jockey?"

Kate knew exactly what he was talking about. "I don't know, Castle, I just have a feeling that we're having a girl. Call it mother's intuition. It just feels right."

"Baby's growing inside you," Castle said with a teasing tone, "That means I trust what you think." Kate smiled at him, his words making her a bit emotional for some reason. _Damn hormones. The morning sickness might have stopped but the emotions and the craving are starting to get to me_.

"So what was your favorite scene?" Castle asked her.

Kate shrugged. "I don't know. I liked this one part, but it wasn't a scene- it was a poem." Her eyes averted his gaze shyly. He loved when she played coy, it made everything a little more romantic.

"Tell me," he quietly pushed her.

She told him in a voice that cracked a bit with emotion, "_You are a great champion. When you ran, the ground shook. Skies opened and mere mortals parted, parted the way to victory, where you'll meet me in the winner's circle, where I'll put a blanket of flowers on your back."_ After she finished, neither spoke for a while. Castle had taken her hand and was just moving his thumb up and down the soft skin. The silence was comfortable, each mulling over what they thought the quote meant. To Castle, it was a poetic way of explaining what the bond between racehorse and owner. To Kate, it was a promise to any horse that they would always be rewarded for just being a horse. It was a promise she had already made to Leggy.

* * *

After work on Tuesday, Kate and Castle drove out to see Leggy and Zenyatta. This time, however, they were not alone. Captain Gates had come along, eager to see the colt for herself. _Who knew that Gates was such a horse lover?_ Kate thought to herself. In the texts Kate got from the barn manager, she knew that Leggy and Zenyatta had started going out with another mare and her foal. The mothers and foals had quickly become inseparable- even their stalls were next to one another now.

Castle parked the car in back lot, and then opened the doors for Gates and Kate. No longer afraid of displaying affection, the couple held hands while Gates walked a few steps in front of them.

"Hey! Rick, Kate!" a female voice called, following by the _clopping_ of hooves. The barn manager, a young woman named Vera, came running up with a horse the pair knew as Bear. Bear was big and pitch black with a stripe down his nose that made him look a little goofy at times.

"Hi Vera," Castle greeted, waving his free hand, "We've just come to see Zenyatta and Leggy with our Captain. Captain Gates, this is Vera, Vera, this is Captain Gates."

"Pleasure," Vera said to Gates, nodding her head, "I'd shake your hand but I don't like letting go of Bear."

"No problem," Gates told her, "I completely understand. That's a fine-looking horse."

Vera grinned. "Thanks. Leggy and Zen are out in the usual paddock, guys." She nodded again and then trotted Bear off, glancing down at his forelegs every so often.

"Come on," Castle told them, leading the way to the paddock Vera had described. It was not the largest of the paddocks around the farm, but Kate thought it was one of the most beautiful. Maple trees dotted the field and clustered in one particularly shady area where the gray shed was also placed. There was a lot of room for the horses to run and graze. Right now, it seemed like playing time. Kate instantly spotted Leggy trotting around his mother and another little shape following him. Breezing By, or just plain Breezy, was Leggy's playmate. She was actually Bear's foal, and resembled him in color and stature. Everyone said she would grow up to be quite tall. Her mother, Faye, stood close by Zenyatta. She was a very light bay and had a large raindrop star on her forehead.

Kate motioned for Gates to come up to the fence with her, and leaned against it. Meanwhile, Castle took to standing behind his wife and wrapping his arms protectively around her abdomen while leaning his head on her shoulder.

"Leggy!" Kate called the colt. Chestnut ears pricked up and the foal stood alertly, fixing his blue eyes on the three humans at the fence.

Breezy looked up too and locked eyes with her playmate. The two stood facing one another for a minute, at the very back of the paddock, and then the little black filly took off running. Leggy reared up on his hind legs and bolted after her. He easily overtook her, but made no sign of slowing down.

"Look at that colt run," Gates remarked, half to herself. Her eyes were glazed in amazement.

"I've never seen him go that fast before," Castle told her, "But, then again, he's never had the competition. It looks like he likes it." Leggy slid to a halt in front of the group and immediately fit his head through the fence so he could be properly petted.

"Whatever he likes," Kate said to them, "He's still a total ham."

* * *

**Sorry if this chapter is a little choppy and uneventful. I'm going to start focusing on Kate's pregnancy more in the next few chapters. For anyone who doesn't know, she's around 16 weeks at this point and is due in the first week of November.**


	10. Ridley Elaine

**Yay! New chapter! Been quite busy recently. I'll be heading to college in a week, but still expect updates as regularly as I can (this will definitely be a break from all that ****college-goodness).**

* * *

Nothing tasted right today. A month and a half into her second trimester and Kate was having unidentifiable cravings. This put her in a bit of a grumpy mood, and she had been sulking around the loft since this morning. Feeling quite indecisive and not at all happy, Kate was particularly annoyed that Castle was so smiley today. It was not fair that he could feel fine and normal while she was being ravaged by what he helped create. _Men are so lucky_, she thought darkly.

Though when she turned her hard-set eyes to Castle, her mood softened at seeing him smile at her with a thousand-watt grin. He was so excited about today and she was in the process of ruining it.

Today, after weeks of begging, Kate had finally caved and said they could find out the baby's sex. Ever since then, Castle had been absolutely radiant. Esposito even joked that it was hard to tell who had more of a pregnancy glow at this point.

Kate looked at the clock above the sink. Twenty minutes until they had to leave and she still had not eaten. She had politely told Castle she wanted to be left alone until they left and he obliged (except for the smiles every time they caught each other's gaze), therefore he made his lunch and merely left some behind in case Kate wanted the same thing.

She did not really want to go to the appointment today. She did not feel like much of anything except for curling up on the couch and watching _Dreamer_ (which had become her favorite film) from underneath a fuzzy blanket. _Movies, mmm popcorn. Buttered popcorn! That's it_, Kate realized, snapping her fingers as she figured out what she had been craving this whole time. Buttered popcorn with salt, yum.

She set to work with the air-popper and the butter, soon having a delicious bowl of popcorn to eat to her heart's content. In the first bite, she felt her grumpy demeanor lift.

"Hey, Castle, do you want any?" she asked, strolling over to the couch where he was sitting and writing.

"Don't mind if I do," he replied, closing his laptop, "I just finished another chapter and I haven't the mind to do any more today."

"Good, because I missed you," Kate told him, snuggling closer as they shared the popcorn.

* * *

"Okay," said the tech, Faye, "Now did you want to know the sex today?"

Currently, Kate was lying on a very cold, silver table with very cold gel on her stomach. Castle was holding her hand and watching the monitor like she was. Their baby was on it, its heartbeat echoing through the room. Even though it looked a little "blobby," the baby was theirs and was perfect.

"Yeh-" Kate cleared her throat, for some reason feeling particularly emotional today, "Yes, please." Castle nodded as well, his eyes darting between his wife and his baby.

"Well then," Faye said, "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Castle, in six months you'll have a lovely little girl."

Simultaneously, Kate gasped and raised her free hand to her mouth while Castle grinned so wide it looked as if his face would get stuck that way.

Thinking it was a good time to take her leave, Faye turned off the equipment and backed out of the room with an "I'll leave you to get cleaned up."

The couple cleaned up Kate's gel-covered belly in silence, only sharing fleeting glances that said a lot more than words. After Kate had rolled down her shirt and swung her legs off the side of the table, the silence was broken.

"Castle, we're going to have a little girl," Kate told him breathlessly. It was the most surreal feeling. Secretly, she had wanted a girl. She wanted to teach her how to braid hair and paint her nails. She wanted to play dolls and dress up and pretend that they were princesses together. When she found out she was pregnant, Kate had made a promise to be the best mom she could be, better than even Johanna Beckett who had been Kate's idol and still was.

Castle had not said anything, instead he reached his hand up and cupped Kate's face, thumb stroking her cheek with a smile on his face much like when he told her than none of the women he brought to the Hamptons were her. Then he leaned down and kissed her, arms coming to wrap around her waist as hers wove around his neck.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips.

"I love you too," Kate said, smiling radiantly.

* * *

The perfect end to what became a perfect day was sitting in front of Leggy and Zenyatta's stall, looking over baby names for a girl. Each armed with a highlighter, Kate and Castle had been trying to pick out names that sounded nice together and were meaningful. They had four books to go through but so far had not come up with much.

Kate was adamant that their little girl's name would not be a memorial to her mother or anyone. She did not want to be reminded of those old wounds every day. The one thing she did want was to incorporate her friends at the Twelfth into the baby's name and life. She and Castle had decided that they would name Esposito as the baby's guardian so that if anything happened, she and Leggy would stay together.

"What about Elaine for a middle name?" Kate suddenly asked aloud.

"Elaine?" Castle asked back.

"Yeah in means 'light' or something, but that's not the point. I really want our baby to have a strong personality, like Lanie does; you know, so that she can be her own person. And maybe adding a bit of Lanie into her name would help that, something she could live up to," she explained to her, feeling the emotion roll in.

Castle smiled with her statement. "I think that's a great idea, Kate. Now all we need is a first name."

"I like the name Ridley," Kate said quietly.

"Ridley? I didn't see that one," Castle replied.

"It's usually a boy's name, it means 'red meadow,'" Kate told him, "But I like it for a girl."

"Ridley Elaine," Castle repeated, letting it roll off his tongue, "Rid-lee Eee-layne. Ridley Elaine Castle. I think it's perfect. What do you think, Leggy, Zen?"

Leggy whinnied at it and Zenyatta snorted. It was almost like having a conversation.

Kate chuckled. "I think that's a yes!"

She was sitting in a chair while Castle was on the ground, he moved to face her on his knees, his hands brushed over her beginning-to-swell abdomen. She still did not look obviously pregnant, but the people that knew her well (or in Castle's case, intimately) could see the changes.

"It's nice to meet you, Ridley Elaine," Castle spoke to the bump. Then he grabbed a lead rope from the stall door, hooked it to Leggy's halter, and brought him out to Kate's chair.

"Say hi to your sister, Leggy," he told the young colt. On command, the chestnut gently pressed his muzzle to where the baby was and breathed deeply. And that was when Kate lost it and let the floodgates open, happiness creating more and more tears.

Putting Leggy back, Castle came to wrap his arms around his wife. "Hey, it's okay. What are you crying about?"

Kate sniffed. "Oh, it's-it's not what you think. I'm not sad. It's just, I thought I felt whole once you entered my life, but now I really feel complete and just naming our baby made everything feel real. I love it."

"Kate," he said to her, "I know I haven't really said this, but I am so glad we're having a baby. I can't wait to be a father again."

His wife smiled, the joy of seeing him so excited spread from her heart all the way to her extremities. "I really hope this is only one of a bunch," Kate told him, "I really want a big family. We were both only children, and it was lonely!"

Castle laughed. "Sounds good to me. You know how much I love making babies."

Leggy pricked his ears at that and Zenyatta looked like she was glaring at Castle.

"Oh, shut up," Kate told him, lightly slapping his shoulder.

* * *

**There you have it: Ridley Elaine Castle. For another story about her, visit _The Strawberry Story_. Though, this story and the planned sequels will not be related to it except by the character of Ridley. I changed plans on some of it.**

**Reviews pretty please!**


	11. Misjudged That One

**New chapter! Some of you mentioned not liking the name Ridley or thinking she'll get teased for it. I have a name like Ridley's, no nicknames, pretty exotic, nobody can pronounce it their first try, you know the drill. But it defines me, and Ridley's name definitely defines her, as you can see in _The Strawberry Story_. So please give the name a try. Don't change it to something else when you read it because that's disrespecting a character just like you wouldn't call Rick "Rob" or something of that nature. Thank you.**

* * *

Today was definitely a scorcher. The precinct, even with air conditioning, was sticky and uncomfortable. Kate felt dehydrated. She was warring with her body about how much fluid she should be drinking, because it seemed anything she drank went right back out again. In the end, she decided water was more important and stayed on the cycle of drinking and then peeing.

Right now, the precinct was pretty quiet. Everyone was out chasing down a lead or a suspect. Castle went with Esposito and Ryan after Kate insisted one of them had to have some fun and although he tried to tell her he should stay, she could see the twinkle of excitement in his eyes.

This particular murder was a day old. Someone had killed a mailman and stolen his mailbag. Kind of a weird one, but Kate liked it that way. After going through a few leads and interviews, they found someone they liked. Joshua Horowitz, who had been seen rousting the mailman they day before he died (this was found off a sketch and then identified by another person they questioned). Kate was eager to take part in this interrogation because Gates told her she would not take part in many more. Although Gates had said "for your safety and your baby's," Kate knew it probably meant "you're not intimidating enough any more."

It was true, with a now pretty obvious pregnant belly, she probably would not be taken seriously in the interrogation room. Not to mention, every time she and Castle did any sort of questioning together and the person moved, he would flinch. _Overprotective ass_, she thought with a small smile to herself.

Staring at the murder board, Kate was looking for evidence to use against Horowitz in interrogation. However, she was getting distracted pretty easily. She had been feeling flutters that her doctor described as "quickening" for a few weeks but they had gotten more pronounced, particularly today. She could not wait for that first real kick; that just gave her more nervous flutters.

Just then the elevator door "dinged" and in came Ryan, Esposito and Castle with none other than Joshua Horowitz.

"I didn't do it. Whatever you want against me, I didn't do it!" he shouted to anyone within earshot. Esposito took him into Room 2 while Castle and Ryan made their way to Kate's desk.

"Sure you want this one?" Ryan asked, sitting down next to Kate, "He's a bit of a loose cannon."

Kate gave a half-smile. "I'll be fine, Castle will be with me. You guys just watch from Observation."

"Just don't overdo it," the Irish detective cautioned her.

* * *

"_Kate? Kate!_" the voice sounded far away. Everything was spinning and her body hurt.

"Wha-what?" the female detective responded with a raspy voice. She fluttered her eyes a few times before everything came into focus again. Okay, so she was lying on the floor and staring up at four concerned pairs of eyes. The pair belonging to Castle was much closer, which suggested he must be kneeling down over her. Had she fainted? The harsh lighting told her she was in the interrogation room. _Interrogation room… suspect… going to question Horowitz._ _Wait, then why am I on the floor?_

"She was out for less than a minute," said Esposito's voice in a relieved tone.

"She still needs to go to the hospital," Gates told everyone, "If not for her, then for the baby. That was a nasty shove from the table."

Ryan was talking into a cellphone urgently.

"What happened?" Kate asked them, frustrated at not being included in the conversation.

Castle stroked her cheek as if he could not believe she was alive. "We didn't expect Horowitz to get that angry Kate, I should have stopped you."

_Oh_. All the thoughts came flooding back of interrogating Horowitz and trying to get a reaction out of him by relaying why she thought he killed the mailman. After about the fifth insistence of "I didn't do it!" he lunged at her. Whatever happened after that was a blur but he definitely knocked her out given her current state.

At that point, other people entered the interrogation room. Paramedics and EMTs. Everyone was talking at once, asking and answering questions. Asking Kate questions. Talking to each other. It was so loud.

"Is Ridley okay?" Kate asked, "Is my baby okay?" She was trying to reach for Castle; all she wanted was Castle. Why did everyone else have to be in here? They kept putting her arm down as she reached up. Nobody would answer her questions. Her body was beginning to hurt more. She just wanted to go to sleep and wake up when less people were talking. Kate closed her eyes. Sleep sounded really good right now. The last thing she heard before letting a black wave wash over her was someone calling her name from very far away, just like when she woke up.

* * *

Kate awoke with a start, her body jumping without consent. She kept waking up in unfamiliar places. The body in a chair next to where she was shifted and then noticed Kate's open eyes.

"Hey, you're awake," it said. It was Alexis.

Kate blinked a few times, adjusting to the room's light and glancing around. Definitely a hospital.

"Yeah," she replied, "How long have I been out?"

"You keep waking up and falling back to sleep, Dad said you went into shock after initially getting knocked out. They just want to keep you over night in case anything changes. Luckily, you and the baby are both okay," Alexis replied, a relieved smile on her face.

Kate let out a sigh. "Okay and comfortable are two different things though," she joked, "I feel light someone threw an elephant at me and was on target."

"Even if that suspect didn't commit murder, he's being charged with assault," Alexis told her, "Though Dad punished him too. Got him in the jaw to get him off you."

"Oh dear," Kate remarked, "Speaking of which, where is your father?"

"He went out to get us dinner. We had hospital food for lunch and it tasted like shoe leather."

"And he's okay?" Kate asked, concern flitting across her hazel orbs.

"After they said you'd be fine and the baby was fine too, he relaxed considerably. Apparently it wasn't as bad as everyone thought at first. But just in case, you have to stay here tonight and can go home tomorrow," Alexis explained.

Just then, the door opened and Castle entered with amazing-smelling Chinese food. His shirt was dappled with wet spots and Kate guessed the heat had given way to rain by now.

"Hey Dad, look who woke up!" Alexis greeted him. She got up to take the food from his hands.

"Hey, Castle," Kate said with a shy smile.

"Kate," he started, walking to her bedside and taking the hand she had stretched out for him, "I'm so glad you're okay. You and Ridley."

"Me too, believe me," Kate told him, squeezing his hand. The room got more crowded as a doctor wearing a white lab coat entered the room.

"Ah, Mrs. Castle, glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?" he asked. Kate read his nametag; it said "Dr. Paul Saltzer" on it.

"Like someone hit me with an elephant," Kate replied with a humorous glitter in her eyes, "But otherwise, I'm feeling fine. I don't have a headache or anything, and everything feels normal with the baby."

"Excellent," the doctor said, "Would you like to try sitting up?"

"Sure."

After a bit more of a discussion, Dr. Saltzer left satisfied and promised she could be discharged tomorrow morning. Then the three Castles were able to start on their meal.

"So I hear you clocked him one," Kate commented to her husband, "Horowitz, I mean."

"Yeah," Castle told her, "Yeah I did."

"The only other time you've ever done that was with Lockwood," Kate said.

Castle shrugged. "I think the fatherly instincts kicked in there."

Smiling, Kate said sincerely, "I'm glad they did."

They ate in silence for a while until Kate gasped and dropped her chopsticks, her hand coming to rest on her stomach and her eyes going wide.

"Kate, what is it?" Castle asked alarmingly, "Is she okay?"

"She?" Alexis put in questioningly.

Kate's smile answered that question as much as her words. "She's fine. More than fine," she answered, hand moving from her stomach to take Castle's hand, "Come here."

Following her lead, Castle put his hand where Kate's had been. Then he felt it, the little reverberations penetrating his skin. Ridley was kicking, or punching, he was not sure how to distinguish. His smile grew wider than his wife's.

"That's her?" he asked in disbelief. Kate nodded, eyes glittering with excitement.

Alexis quietly cleared her throat, breaking up the mush-fest between her father and step-mother. Both looked her way.

"Am I allowed to meet my sister?" she asked quietly.

Kate grinned. "Of course you are," she replied, taking Alexis's hand.

They sat there for quite some time, the talking to each other and the little one hiding away inside Kate. All was perfect for that small bubble in time.

* * *

**I have a really entertaining idea for the next chapter involving Leggy and a kicking baby.**

**Please review if you can spare a moment!**


	12. Hurricane Regina

**Next chapter is here! Hurricane Regina is too, poor Manhattan. But don't worry, I would never hurt Leggy or any character. **

**This chapter is dedicated to Stillifying :D**

* * *

For a week, the skies over Manhattan had been gray and cloud covered. There had been talk of a hurricane making its way up the east coast in the next couple of days; a lot of people were flashing back to Hurricane Sandy. The news of strong winds and terrible storms had Kate worried for Leggy and Zenyatta.

She was with them now. Every boarder and employee was pitching in to strengthen the barns and help weather the storm. There were even some volunteers who did not work or board at the farm. Esposito, Lanie, Ryan, Gate and Gates' husband came to lend a helping hand. It warmed Kate's heart to have such amazing friends- it warmed everyone else's hearts too because they were in much need of the help.

Unfortunately, Kate was not with them, lifting boards to block windows or stockpiling hay and grain in safe locations. No, in "her condition" she could not risk that. Kate sighed. In "her condition" she could not do much of anything. No interrogations, no crime scenes in bad areas, no going out to question suspects or bring them in, barely any barn chores, it was all quite depressing.

However, she did have a job from Vera. Everyone had to come check in with her for assignments and completions. She kept a detailed list of what had been completed, was in progress, and what needed to still be done. Vera also gave her a radio if she or a volunteer had any questions.

Right now, it was a little boring so she had taken to grooming Zenyatta while Leggy took a nap. He was getting so big. People still commented on his spooky face, but Kate always just replied that nobody would ever have a problem picking him out of a crowd. Kate was currently attacking a muddy patch on Zenyatta''s neck with a curry comb. Vera had taught Castle and she so much about horses that Kate felt like she had been doing this all her life. She could not remember not having them anymore just as she had a hard time remembering life without her husband. How could she have missed these pieces for so long?

"Yo," Esposito called down the aisle. He was coming up with Ryan, having just finished stockpiling bales of hay for a different part of the barn, "We finished. Anything else to be done?"

Kate peeked out the stall to look down at her list. "Only one more," she replied, "We're going to move one of the trailers to storage- but we need more people than just you two. "

"Kate," Vera crackled over her radio, "We finished boarding up windows and we're going to move the trailer, so send anyone else you can down to us."

Kate clicked the radio to respond. "Sure, Vera. Ryan and Esposito are on their way." She motioned for the two of them to get going.

"Thanks," the radio replied, "Should be enough."

There was silence once again and Kate went back to grooming Zenyatta. A kick in her abdomen stopped her for a second. It had been a few weeks since Ridley first made her presence known but the kicks still stopped her in her tracks every time.

Leggy awoke from his nap and leapt up as quickly as any horse could. He shook out his fur all over Kate and then thrust his head at her for petting purposes.

"You ham," Kate teased, brushing off her shirt and then doing as he asked by stroking him behind the ears. Per usual, the colt next went to sniffing at Kate's stomach. As soon as his nose pressed into where Ridley was, the baby kicked and Leggy flinched back. He tried again and the same thing happened. Leggy's flinch was less violent, but he was definitely bewildered as to what was going on.

Kate laughed when he boy began to stare warily at her stomach, moving his head at all angles to try and figure out what was going on.

"Hey," said a voice belonging to Castle just as Leggy was going to try sniffing for the third time.

Kate turned around with a huge grin plastered to her face. "Hey, you've missed an entertaining show," she told him.

"What do you mean?" Castle asked, tilting his head slightly.

Leggy began to creep forward again. "Watch," the detective whispered. The colt got bold enough to press his nose to her abdomen. Ridley kicked and the colt leapt back once more, ears pricked at the source.

Castle chuckled. "Is our daughter kicking him away?"

"I think she likes me all to herself. She's warding off invaders," Kate replied, looking pointedly at her chestnut companion, "Is it time to go?" Her face hardened as she asked the question.

Castle walked into the stall to put an arm around her. "Yes," he told her somberly, "It's going to be dangerous if we put it off any longer."

Hot tears pricked Kate's hazel eyes. It felt wrong to leave Zenyatta and Leggy here alone. She tried to reason that Vera and the other staff would be here, but it was still heartbreaking. Kate left Castle to wrap her arms around Zenyatta and then around her baby boy. Leggy, no longer worrying about the kicks, wrapped his neck around the woman he had grown to love like a mother.

"Now you stay safe," Kate told him with a voice that cracked, "And mind your mother and Vera." Then she turned and left with her husband, arms around one another. Leggy peeked his head out to watch her go but Kate did not dare turn back around.

* * *

Hurricane Regina was a fighter. Nobody ever expected more devastation than Hurricane Sandy and they were right, but Regina came in a close second. The wind and rain howled on for nearly a day and two nights, and the Castles lost power on the first night. Alexis and Martha and Jim were good sports about it. They did puzzles by candlelight and natural light when the eye of the storm passed over Manhattan.

Kate could not sit on the floor to join in; it was too uncomfortable at this point in her pregnancy. Instead, she and Castle tended to sit on the couch, cuddle close, whispering secrets and "I love yous" into each other's ears. It was actually quite romantic.

Her gut still twisted whenever she saw the pictures of Leggy and Zenyatta in her house or on her phone. She constantly checked her phone for updates, which were few and far between because everyone was trying to conserve battery. At the end of the day, they stopped coming entirely from Vera and the barn staff. However, they did come from the Precinct as Kate and Castle elected to help with the relief effort. Gates said they would be helping to field calls once the storm had passed and was now just sending out updates to her people about the condition of the Precinct and if it was possible for them to come into work.

There had been a lot of rain and flooding was not uncommon (though Broome Street was lucky not to have flooded). The wind had also knocked down power lines and there was a rumor about boats in the roads in some places.

On the second day, a generator had begun to power up some of the necessities in the loft. The roads seemed to be in working order so Alexis, Jim, and Martha elected to go take a trip to find out the state of Martha's acting studio and Jim's apartment. Meanwhile, Kate anxiously watched her phone for any news about Leggy and Zenyatta or a call in from Gates giving them the all-clear to come in to work.

"Coffee? Decaf?" Castle asked his wife, trying to distract her from worrying.

"Yeah, thanks Castle," she replied. As he moved to get out mugs, her phone rang and Kate leapt at it. It was Vera.

"Hello?" Kate said into the receiver.

"Kate, it's Vera," the voice said on the other end, "My phone just got charged from someone's car. They're both okay. Actually, they're lucky. The roof blew off every part of the barn except theirs."

"Oh God," Kate said, "Is everyone okay?"

"Fine," Vera replied, "A few bumps and scratches, but fine. The roads are all blocked so wait a few days before coming up. I'll call you if anything turns foul."

"Thanks Vera," Kate said to her, "If there's anything we can do, let us know." They hung up after that and Kate turned to her husband.

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "They're safe," she whispered relieved, "We're all safe." The couple stayed in that embrace for a long time, coffee totally forgotten.

* * *

**So yes, I do know what hurricanes are like for the east coast, having been a Sandy victim. This chapter resonates really close to me because my barn was hurt too (we lost the ability to pump water) and my school lost its roof and had a building destroyed.**

**Review please!**


	13. Wish You Were Here

**Hello readers! Here is avery fluffy and a bit emotional update! After this there will probably be one more chapter and an epilogue and then a sequel! So enjoy!**

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Kate always immediately associated September with apples. She loved the look of bright, shiny apples in the middle of her countertop. Today was a particularly good day for Kate. She had the day off and had the first good sleep in ages last night. Ridley had been surprisingly quiet until about eight in the morning, but had still been subdued for the day. Recently she had been active the point that Kate was surprised her skin had not given way to bruises.

Today, however, was a nice day of rest. More than kicks were starting to flutter in her stomach. Her due date was in two months and she was very excited for it. Although she had not started truly _nesting_- as Alexis called it –but was beginning to clean more and worry about disinfectant and polished bathtubs.

Her stomach was now properly rounded and obvious to even absolute strangers. She missed her old clothes but maternity wear was not awful. Right now, Kate was just in yoga pants and one of Castle's sweatshirts. He was writing in his office at the moment and she was making mint tea. Fingers tapping on the counter, she waited for the kettle to boil. It was perfect weather for tea: rainy with a chill that sent tingles down one's spine. Autumn was rearing its head suddenly this year. Even the apartment was a bit cold for Kate's liking.

Suddenly, hands grasped around her abdomen and began gently rubbing circles on it. Kate smiled and leaned back into her husband's chest with a sigh.

"Hi," she murmured to him.

"Hey," he murmured back, tugging her flush against him, "I finished a few chapters."

"Mm, that's nice," she replied contentedly.

Castle chuckled. "My writing or what I'm doing right now?"

"Nice," is all she said again. His warm breath tickled the back of her neck and he leaned his head down to kiss where her neck joined her shoulder. It sent more shivers down her spine than the cold did. She missed him. It had been painful for Kate to have sex since her six month, but it was a whole different kind of pain not to do so.

They stood like that for a while, relishing in each other's presence and just listening to the rain. The kettle whistled and broke up their moment, but Kate did not even touch the water. She turned the stove off and left the kettle simmering.

Turning around to face her husband, Kate's eyes shone and she whispered, "Just love me, Castle."

"Always," he responded. Then he lifted her off her feet. Even seven months pregnant, she was still light enough for him to carry bridal style. She wrapped her arms around his neck to hold on and he brought her through the loft to the bedroom and placed her gently on the bed. He was treating her as if she was made of thin glass that could turn to dust if you looked to hard at it, and she was perfectly fine with that. She was being showered with kisses everywhere at once and, at some point, she found herself naked. Not just physically. All her emotions were rising to the surface at once and she had no idea why. Suddenly, Kate was crying and smiling, feeling her fears all at once and her excitement, feeling horrible and beautiful together. Castle's face reached her own and he brushed a stray tear away.

"I love you," he told her. "You," he kissed her mouth, "And Ridley." He kissed her stomach and ghosted his fingers there.

"You're so beautiful, Kate. So beautiful," he restated, coming up to kiss her mouth again.

"I miss you, Rick," she sighed against his mouth.

"I'm still here," he replied, curling around her body as she did the same until they were comfortably molded together as one entity, "I will always be here."

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In the second week of October, on Friday night (otherwise known as the night before Kate's last day of work), the couple found themselves sitting in bed, Kate in between Castle's legs, reading by bed lamp light. Castle was reading _Training Your Racehorse_ and Kate was reading _The First Few Months: The Ups and Downs of New Parenthood_.

Around eleven thirty, Castle closed his book and wrapped his arms around his wife. "Maybe you should think about stopping for the night," he said to her, "Big day tomorrow."

"Just the last day of work. It's just paperwork, Castle," she reminded him, not taking her eyes from the page. She was ten pages from the end and wanted to finish.

Castle ran his fingers up and down the lengths of her arms. "Kate, don't run yourself down. You've been feeling off-color all day, you said so this morning," he told her.

Kate looked at him mutinously but did not retort. Truthfully, she had not told him the full story. Her Braxton Hicks contractions had gotten quite pronounced and today had been particularly uncomfortable. They had gone to visit Leggy and Zenyatta this afternoon and it was hard for Kate to even groom the colt Castle had not caught the times when one of the contractions would take her breath away.

"Maybe you're right," she muttered, placing the bookmark in the book and closing it. The fairly new binding cracked satisfyingly as she closed it.

The couple got comfortable and turned off the light. Castle was out within minutes while Kate lay awake. It felt like eons before she finally got out of bed carefully and walked out of the bedroom and upstairs to the nursery. It was one in the morning according to the clock they had put up on the lavender walls. Kate picked up the quilt draped over the side of the white crib and held it to herself.

She wanted to hold her baby in her arms, not just her baby's blanket. Three more weeks is what she had been told, but Kate had the sneaking suspicion it would be earlier than that. _Mother's intuition_, Kate thought. Ridley was a ready-to-go kind of baby already and Kate was pretty sure she was not going to wait the full three weeks to come out into the world, especially when her mother felt ready to pop.

In response to her thoughts, Kate felt her baby move inside her and brought a hand down to her swollen belly. "Soon," Kate whispered the promise, "I'll get to hold you soon."

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**Aww. Anyone is welcome to take a guess as to the date Ridley will be born! Review if you can, please. I love hearing your thoughts!**


	14. Beginnings

**And so, we come to our final chapter of this tale. BUT WAIT! There will be a sequel coming ASAP. I have big plans...**

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Since about ten in the morning, Kate had felt a shift in contractions. They were no longer irregularly spaced and random. These were regular and predictable. Not to mention, they were getting stronger. It was now four in the afternoon and Kate was increasingly more uncomfortable. It was becoming hard for her to relax between contractions, she felt overworked from the highs and lows. When Castle called the OB/GYN, he was told that Kate did not need to go to the hospital just yet- she was better off being in a more comfortable place for now.

It was October thirty-first, also known as a week before Kate's due date or Halloween. The one good thing about this day being the day Kate went into labor was that she had something to distract her from the contractions. The kids had begun to knock on the door like clockwork and Castle put his wife in charge of candy duty.

_Knock knock. _Kate stopped her pacing and went to the door as Castle got up to follow. He maneuvered around the suitcases they had set by the door as his wife grabbed the cauldron of candy and donned her witch's hat.

When she opened the door, a squeaky "trick-or-treat!" greeted her excitedly. Kate looked down to see a girl about seven years old dressed in a fairy costume. It was teal and gold with white-shimmery wings attached to the back of it. The little girl was holding a pumpkin bucket for her candy to go in. Her mother stood behind her, one hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Well, hello," Kate greeted the pair with a smile, "What a lovely costume! Take two pieces."

"Thank you," the little girl said, her eyes growing wide at the vast array of candy in the cauldron.

"Melissa was excited to come up here, apparently you have a reputation for amazing candy selection," the girl's mother remarked with a smile.

Kate laughed and glanced back at Castle. "That's my husband's doing, I just hand it out."

The woman nodded to Kate's belly. "Well, that little one is sure in for popularity among the trick-or-treaters. When are you due?"

"Actually, I'm- oh!" Kate's eyes widened a bit as she looked down at her sweatpants and then back up, glassy-eyed. Castle moved like lightning, turning to face his wife.

"Are you-?" he asked and got a nod as an answer.

"I think my water just broke," she said breathlessly.

After that sentence, everything was a blur. Somehow, they left the candy outside the door and got into a cab to go to the hospital. Castle was making phone calls and Kate was breathing through contractions.

Kate remembered pain and waiting and people coming in and out, but only Castle and Alexis were staying through the birth.

Then everything became defined again when she was told she was completely dilated. No, that's not true. Kate had tunnel vision during that time. She was focused on Castle's presence and needing to push; she made the latter very well known.

She was given instructions and then the work started. It hurt, probably as much as getting shot in the heart did, but it was a different kind of hurt. Every ounce of pain was a step closer to Kate and Castle getting to meet their daughter. She kept pushing as told and when it finally felt like she was stretched to her limit, there was relief and then a cry that had to be the most beautiful sound Kate had ever heard.

"Ridley," Kate whispered emotionally, seeing her baby for the first time. She was perfect already.

Castle's mouth was suddenly next to her ear. "You did so well," he told her quietly, "You're extraordinary, Kate."

She smiled and leaned her head against his chest. When they gave her Ridley, Kate's heart finally felt complete. Alexis came around to stand next to her dad, stepmom and sister.

"She's the most perfect baby sister ever," Alexis said lovingly.

Kate smiled at the young redhead and then just closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of her daughter in her arms and her family by her side. _This_, Kate thought to herself, _is completion_.

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Ridley Elaine Castle, born at ten forty-one pm on October thirty-first, was the perfect baby; give or take the occasional meltdown and not always sleeping through the night (though she had gotten exceptionally good at it). At two months old, on New Year's Day, she was about to have her first adventure.

She had fallen asleep on the car ride up to the now snow-covered place they were going to this afternoon. Kate kept glancing back at her little girl and smiling to herself. Castle loved watching his wife reaffirm that she had a daughter. He had to admit, it was hard for both of them to realize they were not just two people and sometimes Alexis and Martha anymore.

Today was a special day for all of them; their family was about to get fully acquainted with one another. They rolled up the long driveway, which was fenced by bare trees. They parked next to the last building which had yet to get its roof put back on, so for now a blue tarp flapped in the wind. Kate got out of the car and opened up the back door to take out a now awake Ridley.

"Come on, baby, we have to go meet and greet," Kate told her daughter.

The family crunched across the snow to an open door. Inside, the lights were warm and familiar smells greeted them. For Ridley, it was all new. Odd-looking creatures stared at her from boxes and the smells were weird and not at all like home. The three of them stopped at what Kate had deemed her happy place and rolled the door open. A head, much larger and higher up than it was in May, thrust into the open, followed by another head. Leggy and Zenyatta sniffed at Kate's belly and then rose up to look at Ridley.

Zenyatta turned her eye to Kate and blinked slowly before backing back into the stall. Leggy looked at his best friend questioningly, ears pricked and blue eyes curious.

"Leggy," Kate said, 'This is Ridley- your sister. You can't eat her or be rough with her, you have to be gentle and kind because that's what families do. Okay?"

Leggy blinked his big blue eyes, and lowered his nose to the little girl, breathing her scent in and out. She smelled like his Kate, but different. Ridley opened her eyes and reached her hand up. Little fingers stroked a white nose curiously and blue eyes locked on blue eyes. If that was not the beginning of a beautiful sibling relationship, Kate did not know what was.

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**And yes, they do go on to become best friends. Although this will later be reiterated- Leggy is the first horse Ridley rides. He also only listens to her and his jockey and Kate, not many people can ride the stubborn boy :]**


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